In a major breakthrough,security forces have arrested a suspected top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander in North Kashmir and killed another militant.

Police identified the arrested man as Qari Naveed alias Fahadullah of Multan in Pakistan. He was functioning as Divisional Commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba in north Kashmir,the police claimed.

This is a major breakthrough for the security forces. The arrested militant is the most important commander of Lashkar in Kashmir, Inspector General of Police Kashmir Abdul Gani Mir said.

The police said the security forces arrested the suspected Lashkar militant from Sopore. Based on his information about presence of two more militants in an orchard at Wagub village,a joint team of Army,police and CRPF sealed off the area. Two militants hiding in the orchards after seeing security forces fired on the advancing parties and in the retaliatory fire one militant,later identified as Shabir Ahmad Sheikh,was killed, a police spokesman said.